Second Thanksgiving | Building A Home

It happens the day after Thanksgiving. After our meals with our respective families or other friends, we gather at Jenny and Kevin Yau’s home (“the Yauhaus”) and go for round two. And no, it’s not leftovers. It’s an entirely new Thanksgiving meal. We call it Second Thanksgiving.

This year, the gathering became even more elaborate than anyone had expected. Kevin and Jon decided to make a new table and benches for the back patio. Then Jenny and Pei created all sorts of crafts for the centerpieces and decor. Many of us traveled to the party– it had become a bit of a destination. We wanted to create a special experience for us all. And on top of everything, we also wanted to film it all so we could share our story of Second Thanksgiving. I am really happy to share the video with you all below:

One of the benches that Kevin and Jon built for the massive conference table:

I helped make the printed menus and the name cards for our pear place settings. We chose pears so we could eat them afterward… sure enough, two days later, we transformed them into salads and pear tarts.

For me, the Yauhaus is my second home. I– being the introvert I am– don’t build close friendships easily but treasure the important ones deeply. Our relationships at the Yauhaus are all really special. I’ve known Jon since 2001 when we worked on the slideshow together at TAF, I built a business with Kevin. Dan is my adventure buddy that I’ve adopted into this Taiwanese American family of mine… and it just goes on.

We are a generation that embraces boundarylessness, but in the wake of depersonalized screens and interactions, we have also learned to create our own spaces and our own meaningful relationships. We have taken traditional forms of family and holidays and adapted them to be our own.

Thank you all so much for being a part of this wonderful new tradition. I am so very thankful to be a part of it myself!